On October 5, 1959, Brother Witness Lee began a service training in Taipei, Taiwan, that ended on January 22, 1960. A follow-up training began on February 16, 1960, and lasted until April 2. During that time Brother Lee released messages on the elders' management of the church and continued his synopsis of the books of the Bible with synopses of Numbers and Deuteronomy. After the training ended on April 2, he began another training for young people on April 26, which was intended to last five weeks; however, after the second week Brother Lee became ill. He rested until June 28, at which time he began a five-day co-workers' series of meetings with about twenty brothers (see Church News in volume 1 of this set). After these meetings he held various weekly training meetings with co-workers. His speaking in these meetings included the subjects of the sufficiency, pursuit, and learning of the Lord's serving ones and the law of revival. On September 27 he left for the United States for the second time. He remained mainly in New York and conducted meetings on God's building and held a four-day conference on the ground of the church. He traveled to San Francisco on December 1. On December 5 he went to Los Angeles and stayed there until December 8, at which time he returned to the Far East, passing through Japan, where he remained from December 10 through 19. There is no record of his speaking in San Francisco or in Japan. On December 19 Brother Lee returned to Taipei and remained there until the end of the year. The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1960, volume 1, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee and personal notes, letters, and reports concerning his ministry from December 1959 through November 23, 1960. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1960 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of this volume. The contents of this volume are divided into three sections, as follows: 1. Eleven issues of the periodical Church News published in January through December 1960. These issues contain personal letters and reports written in Taipei, Taiwan, and New York City from December 1959 through November 23, 1960. They are included in this volume under the same title. 2. Thirty-five messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on February 16 through March 17, 1960, as a continuation of a previous training that ended on January 22. These messages are included in this volume under the title Synopsis of Numbers. 3. Nineteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 18 through April 1, 1960. These messages are included in this volume under the title Synopsis of Deuteronomy.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1960, volume 2, contains messages given and articles and personal notes written by Brother Witness Lee in April through December 1960. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1960 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of volume 1 in this set. The contents of this volume are divided into ten sections, as follows: 1. Nine messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in April through August. Chapters 1 through 5 contain messages given in July and August, and chapters 8 and 9 contain messages given on April 1 and 2. The dates of the messages that constitute chapters 6 and 7 are unknown. All nine messages were previously published in a book entitled The Sufficiency, Pursuit, and Learning of the Lord's Serving Ones and are included in this volume under the same title. 2. Four messages given in a training for young people in Taipei, Taiwan, in April. These messages are included in this volume under the title God's Plan and Christ's Redemption. 3. Three sets of personal notes written in 1960, probably beginning on April 26. These notes are included in this volume under the title Witness Lee's Personal Notes. 4. Fifteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1960; the exact dates are unknown. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Elders' Management of the Church and are included in this volume under the same title. 5. A message given in Taipei, Taiwan, probably after the messages contained in the previous section on the elders' management of the church. This message is included in this volume under the title Concerning the Arrangement of Church Meetings. 6. A message given in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1960. This message was originally published in the periodical The Ministry of the Word in September. It is included in this volume under the title Balancing the Church Service and the Goals of the Church Service. 7. Five messages given in Taipei, Taiwan. These messages were originally published in the periodical The Ministry of the Word in October 1960 through January 1961. They were previously published in a book entitled The Law of Revival and are included in this volume under the same title. 8. Ten messages given in New York City on October 14 through November 20. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Nature and Building Up of the Church. 9. Four messages given in New York City on November 24 through 27. These messages are included in this volume under the title Practicing the Building Up of the Church on the Proper Ground. 10. A letter and two sets of questions and answers given in Los Angeles, California, on December 5 through 7. This section is included in this volume under the title Fellowship in Los Angeles concerning the Ground of the Church.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1959, volume 5, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee in November 1959 through January 1960. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1959 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of volume 1 in this set. The contents of this volume are divided into two sections, as follows: 1. Nine messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in the fourth part of a training that began on October 5, 1959, and concluded on January 22, 1960. The messages in this section were given in November and December 1959 and are included in this volume under the title Synopsis of Exodus. 2. Thirty-seven messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in the fifth part of a training that began on October 5, 1959, and concluded on January 22, 1960. The messages in this section were given from the end of December 1959 through January 21, 1960, and are included in this volume under the title Synopsis of Leviticus.

Brother Witness Lee began 1961 in the month of January by giving a conference to the church in Taipei, Taiwan, in which he released messages on the vision of the church, and by holding a series of meetings with the elders and the co-workers, in which he spoke on being in one work under one leadership. After the conference, during four days of service meetings, he conducted two prayer meetings with the laying on of hands for the co-workers. From the end of January until the first part of April, Brother Lee held various meetings with co-workers and serving ones in the districts of the church in Taipei on various subjects related to coordination, the priesthood, prayer, changing the way of meeting, and how to lead the young people. On February 6 through 18 he held a conference for university students and high-school graduates over the winter school break. A summary of the contents of this conference is included in Church News in volume 1 of this set, but there is no detailed record of his speaking in this conference. On March 12 through 14 he conducted a three-day conference in Taipei and gave messages on the priesthood and God's building. These messages, along with a number of other messages, are included in volume 2 of this set in the section entitled The Priesthood and God's Building. At the beginning of April, Brother K. H. Weigh visited Taiwan and had private times of fellowship with Brother Lee. On April 11 Brother Lee traveled to the Philippines. During his time there he held a training for young brothers and sisters in Baguio on April 14 through 28. In this training he spoke on life and building in the book of Ezekiel, from Ezekiel 1, 37, and 47. On April 30 through May 19 he gave messages in Manila on the priesthood and prayer. At that time a spiritual storm was brewing in Manila in which the leading co-workers rebelled against Brother Lee's leadership in the work. On May 20 he traveled from the Philippines to Hong Kong and stayed for one week. During that time, beginning on May 21 he conducted a conference concerning the ministry of the priesthood. After his time in Hong Kong, Brother Lee returned to Taipei on May 27. In June Brother Lee gave a series of messages in Taipei on the subject of the exercise of the spirit and the building of God. On August 3 through 19, in the morning he held a conference in Taipei on Ezekiel, and in the evening he spoke on how God becomes man's enjoyment. At the end of October he traveled to Manila and remained there until the middle of December. At the end of November and the beginning of December, he held another conference in Manila on the book of Ezekiel. There is no record of his speaking in this conference. The messages on Ezekiel given in Taipei in 1961, along with another series of messages on Ezekiel given in 1971 in Los Angeles, California, are included in the Life-study of Ezekiel and are not included in The Collected Works of Witness Lee. During his time in Manila he also conducted a study on the book of Galatians and gave messages on various other topics. There is no record of his speaking on these occasions. He departed from Manila on December 14 for the United States. Brother Lee remained in the United States from the middle of December 1961 through the entire year of 1962. He stayed mainly in New York City until March 1962, at which time he moved to Seattle, Washington. While he was in New York City, he held a series of special conferences on the weekends. During the same period of time, he also visited Washington, D.C., for two days on January 6 and 7 and San Francisco, California, for three days beginning on February 16. There is no record of his speaking in Washington, D.C. After moving to Seattle in March, Brother Lee visited the San Francisco Bay Area and held meetings on two occasions, in April and July. On August 31 through September 3 he conducted a conference in Los Angeles. More than thirty brothers and sisters from San Francisco and Sacramento, California, joined the conference. The subject of the conference was the experience of Christ for the building up of the church. On the last day of the conference many renewed their consecration to the Lord. During the time when Brother Lee was residing in Seattle, he met privately with a few Chinese students from the Far East together with twenty or thirty other Christians. On November 11 the saints in Seattle began to break bread. Although conferences had been planned in which he would speak in Taiwan, prior to these conferences Brother Lee received a clear leading from the Lord to not return to Taiwan but remain in the United States and begin the work of the Lord's recovery there. This was a significant turn in the move of the Lord in His recovery on the whole earth, especially in the spread of the recovery to the Western world. Around the third week in November, Brother Lee traveled from Seattle to San Francisco and Sacramento. After spending three days in Sacramento, he traveled to Los Angeles at the end of the month. There is no record of his speaking in Sacramento. Beginning on December 22, Brother Lee conducted a ten-day conference on the all-inclusive Christ. This was the first major conference after the Lord initiated His recovery in the United States. The attendees at this conference included an American brother from New York City; three responsible brothers from Louisville, Kentucky; one sister from near Chicago, Illinois; five or six Caucasian brothers and sisters and two Chinese saints from Sacramento; more than twenty from San Francisco; plus the local saints and some Caucasian visitors. During this conference Brother Lee conducted four meetings each day, starting at 6:30 A.M. The second morning meetings and the evening meetings were on the subject of the all-inclusive Christ. The first morning meetings and the times of fellowship in the afternoon were on miscellaneous topics. The conference ended on the last day of the year and was followed by fasting and prayer that lasted past 1:30 the next morning. The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1961-1962, volume 1, contains messages given and letters and personal notes written by Brother Witness Lee from November 26, 1960, through September 17, 1961. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry during this period can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of this volume. The contents of this volume are divided into eight sections, as follows: 1. Six issues of the periodical Church News published on January 22 through September 17, 1961. These issues contain letters and reports written from November 26, 1960, through August 23, 1961. They are included in this volume under the same title. 2. A set of personal notes written from December 31, 1960, through an unknown date in 1961. Most of the notes are undated. These notes are included in this volume under the title Witness Lee's Personal Notes. 3. A message given in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1961. The date of the speaking is unknown. This message is included in this volume under the title A Strong Spirit and a Good Deposit. 4. Six messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on January 10 through 31, 1961. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Blueprint and the Ground for the Building Up of the Church and are included in this volume under the same title. 5. Ten messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on January 15 through 24, 1961. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Vision of the Building of the Church and are included in this volume under the same title. 6. Thirteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on January 25 through April 11, 1961. These messages are included in this volume under the title Coordination in Service. 7. Sixteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, on January 31 through April 10, 1961. These messages are included in this volume under the title Exercising the Spirit in Prayer for the Priesthood. 8. Five messages given in Taipei, Taiwan. Messages 1 through 3 were spoken on February 15 through April 8, 1961. The dates for Messages 4 and 5 are unknown. These messages are included in this volume under the title Words concerning the Young People.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, Letters and Gleanings, volume 1, contains letters written by Brother Witness Lee from October 23, 1937, through October 15, 1994, and miscellaneous messages given from 1948 through 1964. The contents of this volume are divided into ten sections, as follows: 1. One hundred nineteen letters written to Brother Liu Suey on June 3, 1947, through October 5, 1981. These letters are included in this volume under the title Letters to Liu Suey. 2. Eight letters written to Brother Weigh Kwang-hsi (K. H. Weigh) on September 25, 1961, through October 3, 1974. These letters are included in this volume under the title Letters to K. H. Weigh. 3. Three hundred thirty-one letters written from an unknown date in 1948 through October 15, 1994, to various churches and individual saints; five letters written on April 20, 1967, through March 14, 1968, to Brother Carl Althaus; a letter written on February 8, 1992, to Brother Benson Phillips and all the full-time serving brothers and sisters in Moscow, Russia; a letter written on August 7, 1992, to the young brothers and sisters in the church in Moscow; and a letter written on January 29, 1993, to the saints who completed the first term of the full-time training in Moscow. These letters are included in this volume under the title Miscellaneous Letters. 4. A letter written on October 23, 1937, and published in the periodical The Open Door, Issue No. 2; five letters written on September 6, 1962, through April 9, 1963, and published in Church News, Issue Nos. 53 through 55; four letters written on December 4, 1963, through November 6, 1964, and published in The Ministry of the Word, Supplementary Issues, 1964, Issue Nos. 1, 10, and 12; and thirty-six letters written on April 25, 1968, through April 6, 1977, and published in Church News, Resumed, Issue Nos. 12 through 51. These letters are included in this volume under the title Published Letters. 5. A message given in Swatow, China, on January 17, 1948. This message is included in this volume under the title Fellowship concerning the Gospel, Revival, Life, and Loving the Lord. 6. A message given in an unknown location in 1956. This message is included in this volume under the title Recovering God's Temple, God's City, and God's Word. 7. Four messages given at a location believed to be San Francisco, California, in 1963. These messages are included in this volume under the title Miscellaneous Gleanings, 1963. 8. A message given in a location believed to be Los Angeles, California, in 1963. This message is included in this volume under the title Abiding in Christ by Denying Ourselves and Opening Ourselves to Him. 9. Two messages given in uncertain locations in 1964. These messages are included in this volume under the title Miscellaneous Gleanings, 1964. 10. A message given in an uncertain location in 1964. This message is included in this volume under the title The Use of Marriage in God's Hand.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1959, volume 4, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee in October 1959 through January 1960. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1959 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of volume 1 in this set. The contents of this volume are divided into five sections, as follows: 1. Two sessions of fellowship given in Taipei, Taiwan, in October 1959 as part of a training concerning service. These messages are included in this volume under the title The Purpose, Regulations, and Standard of the Training. 2. Twenty messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in the winter of 1959. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Lessons on Prayer and are included in this volume under the same title. 3. Eighteen messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in midweek meetings held in October 1959 through January 1960. These messages were originally published in The Ministry of the Word in 1962 and 1963 and were previously published in a book entitled Life and Building in the Gospel of John. They are included in this volume under the same title. 4. Seven messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in the third part of a training that began on October 5, 1959, and concluded on January 22, 1960. These messages were given in November and December 1959 and are included in this volume under the title Synopsis of Genesis. 5. A two-part topical outline of the Bible prepared in Taipei, Taiwan, in November and December 1959. This outline is included in this volume under the title A Topical Outline of the Bible.

According to the available records, Brother Witness Lee ministered in the Philippines until near the end of January 1957. After Brother Lee returned to Taipei, Taiwan, Brother T. Austin-Sparks visited Taiwan in February for the second time (his first visit was in 1955). After visiting Taiwan, Austin-Sparks went to Hong Kong in March for a short visit. Brother Lee accompanied him during the entire time. The result of these visits caused much confusion concerning the practice of the church, in particular concerning the truth of the ground of the church. After Austin-Sparks left the Far East, Brother Lee spent about six months in Taiwan, where he conducted conferences and trainings on the truth concerning the church. Near the end of September he went to the Philippines and spent about a month there. At the end of October he traveled to Hong Kong again and stayed until the end of December, conducting various conferences and fellowships, many of which were to clarify the confusion concerning the truth of the church. In January 1958 he again visited the Philippines and remained there about a month before returning to Taipei via Hong Kong. In the 1957 set, volume 1 comprises Brother Lee's messages and personal notes given during his travels in Taiwan and throughout Southeast Asia, including fellowship and messages given during the visit of T. Austin-Sparks to Taiwan and Hong Kong in February and March. Volume 2 continues with Brother Lee's speaking in Taiwan on topics related to the church. Volume 3 is composed of his speaking in Manila, Philippines, and in Hong Kong from the end of September through December. The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1957, volume 1, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee in January 1957 through January 1958. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1957 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of this volume. The contents of this volume are divided into ten sections, as follows: 1. Eighty-seven personal notes written by Brother Lee during his travels in the Philippines, Taiwan, and Hong Kong from January 1957 through January 1958. These notes are divided into seven chapters and are included in this volume under the title Witness Lee's Personal Notes. 2. Seven messages given in 1957. The place and time of the speaking of the first three messages are unknown. The last four messages were spoken in Taipei, Taiwan, in January 1957. These messages were originally published in The Ministry of the Word in February through August 1957 and were previously published in a book entitled God's Need and God's Goal. They are included in this volume under the same title. 3. Eight messages and private talks given in Taiwan and Hong Kong in February and March 1957. These messages and talks are included in this volume under the title Fellowship Given during the Visit of T. Austin-Sparks. 4. Two messages given in Hong Kong on March 31 and April 4, 1957. These messages are included in this volume under the title Messages Given during the Visit of T. Austin-Sparks. 5. A letter written probably in Taiwan on April 25, 1957. This letter is included in this volume under the title A Letter concerning the Ground of the Church. 6. An article written in 1957 and published in the periodical The Ministry of the Word. This article is included in this volume under the title The Ministry of the Word, Miscellaneous Messages, 1957. 7. Five messages given in 1957. The place and time of the first three messages are unknown. The last two messages were given in Taipei, Taiwan, in April. The five messages were published in 1957 in the periodical The Ministry of the Word and were also published in a book entitled God's Plan concerning the Church. These messages are included in this volume under the same title. Portions of the last two messages are included later in this volume in chapter 2 of The Ground of the Church and the Service of the Body. 8. Seven messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in May 1957. These messages were originally published in the periodical The Ministry of the Word in 1958 and were also previously published in a book entitled The Faith, Testimony, and Ground of the Church. They are included in this volume under the same title. 9. Eleven messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in May 1957. These messages were originally published in the periodical The Ministry of the Word in 1958 and are included in this volume under the title The Recovery and Practice of the Testimony of the Church. 10. Nine messages given in the Philippines and in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1957. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Ground of the Church and the Service of the Body and are included in this volume under the same title.

This issue of The Ministry of the Word contains the complete record of the twelve messages given during the semiannual training held December 24 through 29, 2018, in Anaheim, California, as the first part of the crystallization-study of Numbers. The banners in the following section embody and summarize the crucial truths and main burden in these twelve messages. These training messages are being published immediately following the training in order that they might benefit the saints participating in the many video trainings that are held throughout the earth. The Reports and Announcements sections contains "An Update concerning Europe," "A Burden for the Spread of the Lord's Recovery in the United States," "Announcement concerning The Collected Works of Witness Lee and Ministry Digest, a New Publication," and "Announcement concerning the 2019 North America College Training." Also included is information concerning the upcoming conferences and trainings hosted by Living Stream Ministry and a website link for information related to similar events in Europe.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1959, volume 3, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee in September through December 1959. Historical information concerning Brother Lee's travels and the content of his ministry in 1959 can be found in the general preface that appears at the beginning of volume 1 in this set. The contents of this volume are divided into four sections, as follows: 1. Personal notes consisting of two sets of outlines for gospel meetings held in Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in September and November 1959. These notes are included in this volume under the title Witness Lee's Personal Notes. 2. Twenty-five messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in the fall of 1959. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Lessons for New Believers and are included in this volume under the same title. 3. Five messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in the first part of a training that began on October 5, 1959, and concluded on January 22, 1960. Chapters 1, 2, 4, and 5 were previously published in a book entitled On Knowing the Bible. Chapter 3 was added based on notes taken by Brother K. H. Weigh and his wife, Lin Yi-tian. The messages that compose the first four chapters were given on October 6 through 9, 1959, and the fifth message was probably given shortly thereafter. The five messages are included in this volume under the same title as the previously published book. 4. Ten messages given in Taipei, Taiwan, in the second part of a training that began on October 5, 1959, and concluded on January 22, 1960. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Ten Lines in the Bible. Later, two appendices were added based on notes taken by Brother K. H. Weigh and his wife, Lin Yi-tian. The exact dates for the speaking of these messages are unknown, but they were given in the winter of 1959. The ten messages and the two appendices are included in this volume under the same title as the previously published book.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1984, volume 1, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from January 1 through December 16, 1984. One message included in this volume was given in 1991. In 1984 Brother Lee spoke eighty-two messages that were published in Life-study of Mark, Life-study of Luke, and Life-study of Acts. These Life-study messages are not included in The Collected Works of Witness Lee. After spending the first few days of 1984 in Irving, Texas, Brother Lee returned to Anaheim, California, and remained there until the end of February. He then traveled to Brazil and spent most of March ministering there. At the end of March he returned from Brazil to Anaheim and remained there until the middle of April. During the last two weeks in April, Brother Lee traveled to Stuttgart, Germany, and on his return to the United States he visited New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Newton, Massachusetts, during the month of May. At the end of May he ministered in Irving, and in the first few days in June he visited Denver, Colorado. At the end of June Brother Lee returned to Anaheim and remained there until the first week in October. From the middle of October until the middle of November, Brother Lee traveled to the Far East and ministered in Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; Taipei, Taiwan; and Quezon City, Philippines. He returned to Anaheim for a few days in the middle of November, and near the end of November he traveled to Irving, where he remained until the end of the year. The contents of this volume are divided into fifteen sections, as follows: 1. Four messages given in Irving, Texas, on January 1 and December 2, 8, and 16. These messages are included in this volume under the title Miscellaneous Messages Given in Irving. 2. Two messages given in Anaheim, California, on January 7 and 14. These messages are included in this volume under the title Living Christ and Pursuing the Truth for the Building Up of the Church. 3. Five messages given in Anaheim, California, on January 8 through March 25. These messages are included in this volume under the title Being Built Up in the Truth and Growing in Life for the Spread of the Lord's Testimony. 4. Five messages given in Anaheim, California, on January 16 through November 19. These messages are included in this volume under the title Bringing the Saints into the Lord's Up-to-date Vision and Move in His Recovery. 5. Ten messages given in Anaheim, California, on February 3 through August 18, 1984, and in Alhambra, California, on April 21, 1991. These messages were translated from Chinese and previously published in a book entitled The Four Crucial Elements of the Bible--Christ, the Spirit, Life, and the Church. They are included in this volume under the same title. 6. A message given to a group of co-workers from Taiwan in Anaheim, California, on February 20, 1984. This message was translated from Chinese and has been included in this volume under the title Finding Principles in Our Study of the Bible and the Subjective Line of Life in the Bible. 7. A message given in Brazil on March 3. This message is included in this volume under the title Being Faithful to Be Constituted with the Truth and Experience Life for the Spread of the Lord's Recovery. 8. A message given in Brazil on March 11. It was translated from Chinese and is included in this volume under the title One Stream and a Broad Highway. 9. Two messages given in Anaheim, California, on April 15 and August 8. These messages were translated from Chinese and are included in this volume under the title The Chinese-speaking Meeting and Putting Off Oldness. 10. A message given in New York City on May 6. This message is included in this volume under the title Christ as the Embodiment of God Becoming the Consummation of the Triune God and Our Attitude toward the Believers. 11. A message given in Newton, Massachusetts, on May 10. This message is included in this volume under the title Ministering the Truth, Life, and the Gospel to All Men. 12. Four messages given in a Chinese-speaking conference in New York City on May 11 through 13. They were previously published in a book entitled Christ Revealed in the New Testament and are included in this volume under the same title. 13. A message given in Irving, Texas, on May 28. This message is included in this volume under the title A Word of Recommendation concerning the Life-study Messages and the Footnotes in the New Testament Recovery Version. 14. Five messages given in Denver, Colorado, on June 2 and 3. The records for two of these messages are missing. The remaining three messages are included in this volume under the title Practicing the Genuine Church Life in Spirit, in Love, and in the Truth. 15. Four messages given in Anaheim, California, on June 23 and 25. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Teachers' Training and are included in this volume under the same title.